Tech Lead Software Engineer

Southwest Airlines • Dallas, TX

1d • $160,550 - $178,400 • Remote

About The Position

As a Tech Lead Software Engineer, you’ll help shape the mission-critical data and optimization engines that keep Southwest running safe, reliable, and efficient. You’ll guide the a Pod that sources and curates airline data across multiple domains, ensuring it’s accurate, scalable, and ready for software which supports network planning and rapid recovery decisions when operations are disrupted. You’ll lead the technical direction, mentor Developers, and provide hands-on support to the Team building complex, high-performance C++ models, translating business needs into robust designs, test automation, and dependable deployments. You’ll partner closely with Business Leaders, Solution Architects, shared services Teams, and Operations stakeholders to align capacity, architecture, and non-functional requirements like performance and reliability. Your work will strengthen decision-making and recovery speed, reduce risk, and unlock measurable value for Southwest’s operation and Customers—powering more dependable schedules, better use of our assets, and long-term success for our Employees and the business.

Requirements

• Advanced knowledge of software development methodologies, practices, concepts, and technologies
• Advanced knowledge of at least one programming language and at least general knowledge of one or more additional programming languages
• Knowledge of project management methodology and principles
• Ability to demonstrate strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a proactive mindset to get ahead of issues
• Skilled in communication with ability to articulate a clear direction and priorities on ideas, approaches, concepts, options, risks, impacts, and recommendations to technical, non-technical, and Leadership audiences with ability to adapt the message accordingly
• Ability to articulate the technical implementation and how it provides business value
• Ability to lead ideation, presentation, and group-thinking sessions
• Ability to influence effectively without authority up through Senior Leadership levels to achieve desired business outcomes
• Ability to lead multiple efforts concurrently, whether administrative or project related, while maintaining a successful level of completion in their own work
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, Team-based, Customer service-oriented environment
• Expert level experience, expansive and far reaching knowledge in software engineering
• Must maintain a well-groomed appearance per Company appearance standards as described in established guidelines
• Must be a U.S. citizen or have authorization to work in the United States as defined by the Immigration Reform Act of 1986
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be able to comply with Company attendance standards as described in established guidelines
• Must be able to travel and /or attend Company and non-Company facilities and remote locations such as remote-based offices as necessary

Nice To Haves

• Experience implementing and managing CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins or GitLab
• Experience with branching and release strategies to support efficient software delivery
• Experience executing Blue/Green and Canary deployment strategies for application releases
• Experience utilizing feature flags to enable controlled feature rollouts
• Experience managing multiple environments to maintain development, QA, and production parity
• Experience developing and maintaining applications using C++

Responsibilities

• Provide accurate development estimates in support of feasibility assessments and planned development activities
• Create, maintain, review and approve application designs in collaboration with Solution Architects and shared services Teams, ensuring alignment to the appropriate solution architectures and taking tradeoffs into account
• Develop, maintain, and review software with a focus on quality and maintainability
• Develop, maintain, review, and execute unit, functional, and integration tests with a focus on automation and test-driven development
• Provide technical oversight for performance testing, ensuring plan and outcomes align to expected non-functional requirements
• Plan and oversee application deployment activities and sequencing in non-production and production environments
• Investigate new technologies that could improve the applications and development activities
• Identify and resolve technical debt as appropriate, weighing the development effort against the value returned
• Mentor and coach Development Team on relevant architecture, design, development, and operations topics
• Evaluate code to ensure that it is valid, is properly structured, meets industry standards, and is compatible with browsers, devices, or operating systems
• May perform other job duties as directed by Employee's Leaders

Benefits

• Fly for free, as a privilege, on any open seat on all Southwest flights (your eligible dependents too)
• Southwest will help fund your Retirement Savings Plan, which includes a dollar-for-dollar 401(k) Company match contribution of up to 9.3% of your eligible earnings
• Potential for annual profit-sharing contribution in the Southwest Retirement Savings Plan—when Southwest profits, you profit
• Competitive health insurance for you and your eligible dependents
• Southwest offers health plan coverage options that start from the very first day of employment. You'll have 30 days to select and enroll in your health plan, and coverage will be retroactively available to your first day of employment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior